Rage
by akitokihojo
Summary: Inuyasha underestimates the situation and overestimates his abilities on the night of the new moon, landing him in a life-threatening situation. Kagome refuses to wait any longer for his return, leaving Sango behind with her children and racing off to the village they'd gone to. When she realizes how bad the situation has become, she leaps into action without hesitation.


Kagome slid the door open slightly, peeking out into the dark woods from Sango's doorway for what she felt was maybe the eighteenth time within the last thirty minutes. Nothing. Still nothing. Tilting her head back, she eyed the night sky hoping the moon would have appeared overheard since she last poked her head out. Nothing.

Sliding the door shut, she went back to the pacing she'd been doing since the sun set. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest while she flicked her thumb nail back and forth over the nail of her middle finger, creating a clicking sound that did little to distract her.

"I take it they still aren't back?" Sango asked, setting her sleeping one year old down in his makeshift, bedside bassinet and peering nervously over her shoulder at Kagome.

Kagome could only shake her head in response, knowing her nerves were getting the better of her, and thankful all of Sango's children were asleep so they wouldn't pick up on the unsettling emotions that practically oozed from her own pores.

Earlier today, a man from a village a couple of hours out requested the help of Miroku and Inuyasha. A demon had begun reeking havoc on the village the night before, and was holding all of the women hostage while literally devouring the men. A demon like this wasn't something the hanyou and monk were strangers to, being well-known demon slayers now, so they obliged and followed the villager back. Kagome couldn't help but feel surprised when Inuyasha agreed to help so easily. Normally on the night of the new moon he was hesitant to leave the house, let alone agree to slay a demon. And when she asked if he was sure, Inuyasha had _promised_ to be back before sundown.

Sundown was hours ago.

Kagome felt sick, her stomach feeling heavy in her abdomen. Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong. And it only agitated her more that Sango appeared so calm when _her_ husband was missing, too.

"They'll be back." Sango placed a light hand on her friend's shoulder, stopping her from her pacing in an attempt to soothe her nerves. "Maybe there was just a small set back. Maybe they decided to stay the night in the village and they'll return by morning."

"On an average night, I might take your word for it. But it's a new moon, and I've got a bad feeling." Kagome's arms dropped to her sides, her voice coming out small and breathy.

Sango felt her heart give an aggressive thud, the anxiety beginning to boil up and spill over. She'd felt something was off all night, and not just because the priestess in her home was a nervous wreck. For hours now, she'd just been telling herself to be patient. Miroku and Inuyasha had run late on numerous occasions before, and have even had to stay in distant villages overnight due to set backs and late hours. Something was different tonight though, and Sango couldn't believe she hadn't realized what tonight was. More importantly, Sango couldn't believe Inuyasha agreed to help out on such a compromising occasion.

"I... I should go after them." Kagome stated, peering back over to the closed door and then to the corner of the room where her bow and arrows sat leaning against the wall.

"Kagome, no. Not alone. It's too dangerous! If something _did_ happen to them, what's to say the same won't happen to you?!" The mother gripped Kagome's hand as she tried to move past, shaking her head with pleading eyes.

"There's no guarantees, Sango, but I have to try."

"What if they're on their way back?"

"Then we'll cross paths."

"Maybe I should go, instead."

"No." Kagome held a tone of finality to her friend's suggestion, letting her know there was no room for compromise. While she was, no doubt, the better fighter of the two, it was more important that Sango was kept safe. "You have three babies here, and they need you. Their mother. I'll be back, don't worry." She gave her friend's hand a firm squeeze before peeling out of Sango's hold. "And I'll have our husbands in tow."

Sango watched the priestess hastily pick up her weapons and strap them over her shoulder with wide eyes. Her friend's bravery still surprised her at times. It was nothing she was unfamiliar with, of course. All that time spent traveling and fighting demons, monsters, and sometimes even humans showed Sango just how bold the girl from the future was. Kagome gave Sango one last look and she nodded an affirmation towards her close friend as she slid the door shut behind her, the cool air of the night that blew through brushing against her clammy skin.

This could all be in her head. Kagome was more than willing to admit that this wouldn't be the first time her imagination has gotten the better of her during tense situations, but she couldn't just sit around and wait to see if she was wrong. The longer she waited, the more danger Inuyasha could be in.

Picking up speed, her jog turned into a run. She'd been to the village they'd gone to save before, accompanying Kaede on more that one trip during the recent, bitter winter to aid the sick. She remembered the way, and it was at least a two hour walk, but she could cut that down some if she ran.

The angry feeling in the pit of her stomach seeded deeper and grew worse, churning her insides with an overwhelming amount of anxiety. As much as she wanted to stop running, to double over from the unsettling nausea and puke, she couldn't. She wouldn't allow herself to yet. _Something's wrong. Something's wrong_. The chanting wouldn't stop in her head, repeating the words over and over no matter how hard she tried to reassure herself that this was Inuyasha, for goodness sake! She'd seen him take on Tokajin in his human form, fall from a cliff, and live! He may be rash, but he's smart. He knows how to survive.

Kagome's breathing was jagged, lungs burning from each inhale of the crisp night air that dragged through her wind pipes. Kagome braced herself against the closest tree, trying to steady her muscles as her legs shook beneath her, her hair sticking to her slick and sweaty forehead and cheeks. Her run had become a sprint as she began to sense a menacing demonic aura nearby. It was even stronger from where she stood now, not far ahead. She could hear a few panicked villagers off in the distance, letting her know that her hunch wasn't wrong; the fight never ended.

Her sides cramped as she went to take a step away from the tree, her body begging her to rest a bit longer. Then she heard it. The heart-shattering, chill-inducing scream that caused everything inside and around Kagome to stop while painfully twisting at every organ within her abdomen.

 _Inuyasha_.

She stood there a moment as the gears in her brain slowly began working again, her lungs remembering how to inhale and exhale, her muscles regaining movement, the blood once again coursing through her veins with an extra dousing of something hot. Fire, maybe. No, hotter. Lava.

It seared through her body so quickly, her subconscious walk towards the blood curdling scream that had long ended but still rang in her ears shifted and she was suddenly racing forward. The adrenaline silenced her body's plead for rest with the overwhelming need to make sure her husband was safe. _Alive_.

"INUYASHA!"

 _Shit. Shit. Shit_. This was bad. This was really fucking bad. Inuyasha crawled his way to a half seated position, the hot blood that leaked from the wound in his waist oozing over his calloused fingers as he applied painful pressure to it.

Tetsusaiga was useless. Miroku's pretty messed up, so he's useless. And Inuyasha was human. He was as useless as they get.

"You taste disgusting. Just as I'd imagine a puny dog would taste like." The demon remarked with his boisterous voice, spitting Inuyasha's blood off to the side.

"Yeah, well that's what ya get for biting me, asshole!" He winced as he yelled, clutching his side harder.

"Inu- yasha... Try- not to- anta- gonize it- please." Miroku's words came out with each short, shaky breath. He was bleeding from his temple and the arm his wind tunnel used to plague, and he'd lost quite a bit of blood already.

"He _bit_ me, Miroku." Inuyasha responded, still in disbelief that it had happened to begin with. He'd come across many breeds of demons before, some more animalistic than others. But not a single one of those deliberately attempted to take a chunk out of him as a midnight snack. Luckily, the thing found him gross and pulled away before actually taking a piece of Inuyasha with him, and while he'd normally be offended by being told he tasted disgusting, he'd take his wins any way he could get them tonight.

Still, the bite inflicted a good amount of damage and Inuyasha was losing blood now. A lot of it. Not to mention, the demon's claws had gotten him pretty good on both his right leg and left arm.

This was really fucking bad and he still had several hours until sunrise.

Inuyasha's vision was beginning to blur as he tried to sit up more, his head growing light and limbs trembling. Fuck this human body. Fuck the night of the new moon!

"Since I'd rather not make a half breed like you a meal, especially while you're in such pitiful form, I'll just kill you for sport and eat your friend as a tasty, little snack after."

"Keh. And you called _me_ disgusting." Inuyasha rolled his dark eyes, peeling his aching body from the ground, fighting against the unsteadiness of his muscles and standing up. "You'd eat that guy as a snack? I've spoken to his wife and she definitely wouldn't call him a treat."

"Inuyasha! What good does taunting him do?" Miroku grimaced, coming to stand beside him and gripping his injured arm.

"Time management?" He asked more than stated, a small shrug coming from his shoulders. He didn't quite know what his plan was. In fact, he'd hoped that if everyone kept talking, he'd be able to figure something out. But time was as limited as options.

"Do you plan on telling jokes until sunrise? We'll _both_ bleed out by then. We need to get to safety." Miroku was talking under his breath, but it was clear how serious he was.

"You run if you like, monk, but I ain't going anywhere! You know I can take it! I'm built differently than you!" Inuyasha scoffed, tossing his ebony hair back and off his shoulder as he gave Miroku a deadly look then directed it back towards the demon.

"I hate to break it to you, my friend, but all those other times you survived were pure luck. You know as well as I that tonight you're no different from me."

The fluid leaking from his waist and causing his robes to stick to his sensitive wound was proof enough that the monk was right about him not being so different. But he was wrong about luck. Inuyasha and luck didn't mix too well. Hell, if he was lucky, he wouldn't be running into trouble on the one night of the month where he didn't have his demonic powers. Or in his case tonight, willingly running towards the trouble like a dumbass. Still, he survived all those previous battles because he kept fighting. Which was exactly what he planned to do tonight.

"Are you finished?" the creature growled, all evidence of amusement vanishing suddenly, his lips curling back to bear his fangs in a fearsome snarl. "You two interrupted my meal earlier, let my women escape, and I've grown hungry. The villagers weren't smart enough to leave the village while they could, and I can smell a delicious human snooping around nearby. It's time for this to end so that I may feast." He licked his lips, remnants of the blood from the man he was eating earlier still staining his face.

This was a bad time for Inuyasha's legs to threaten to give in. The demon was digging its claws into the dirt, the front of him dipping down as his rear raised up in what he could only guess was preparation to pounce, and as soon as he was airborne Inuyasha was going to have to get the hell out of there. His legs were just going to have to hang on for a little while longer.

Actually, a lot longer.

Inuyasha and Miroku dove in opposite directions to avoid the giant cat, Inuyasha rolling a couple more times as the demon swiped his way, groaning loudly in pain as rocks in the dirt collided with his wounds.

A flash of purple light caught his attention is it flew passed his face and landed just at the creature's paws, the demon barely jumping back in time and coming to a halt. The purple glow faded away slowly, revealing an arrow. A sacred arrow.

 _What?_

Inuyasha sat up quickly, ignoring the blinding pain from his movement and whipped his head in the direction the arrow came from to see Kagome standing at the edge of the trees, another arrow already lined up with her bow and aimed directly at the offending demon. Her brow was furrowed together, lips curled downward in a tight frown as she held her tense position, cheeks pink and glowing with sweat.

If looks could kill...

"Don't think my aim was off!" Kagome shouted, pulling her arrow back an inch further. "I wanted your attention!"

"A woman coming to me? Well, that's a first. Usually I have to chase them down, but I'll admit, it's nice to be chased for once." The cat snickered, lips curling up in a menacing smile.

Kagome angled her bow slightly downward and released the arrow, the arrowhead slicing through the skin of his front leg causing the demon to roar and jump back again, his dark red blood staining his dirty, golden fur.

"Shut up!" Kagome demanded, snagging another arrow from her quiver and lining it up perfectly to aim at him.

Her demand rang so clearly that even Inuyasha's hanging jaw snapped shut, eyes wide from her ferocious demeanor. He'd never seen her like this before. Not even in their worst battles they'd fought together did she direct such a fearsome scowl towards their enemies, let alone make them bleed to show how serious she was.

Kagome looked the demon up and down. Yellow fur covered it from head to toe, a bushy, sandy colored mane with darker tips adorning his head and neck. Rounded ears poked out of the top of his head as Inuyasha's did on any other night, and several cuts littered his body from what she could only guess was his ongoing fight with the two men.

A lion? Well this was a first. She couldn't say she was altogether surprised at the new encounter, nor was she particularly eager to be taking on what was known as the king of the jungle in her day and age, but none of that mattered right now. She was here and she'd already challenged him, a weird sense of blind fury numbing her fear. There was absolutely no way she was about to back down now.

"You'll pay for that, bitch!" He growled, lips peeling back to reveal his large set of sharp teeth and his muzzle wrinkling viciously into a snarl. "I'll kill you!"

"Not if I kill you first." Kagome muttered to only herself, watching as the lion poised itself to launch in her direction, pulling her arrow back until the string of the bow was as taut as possible.

"Kagome, get the hell out of here!" Her husband bellowed, trying to stand but quickly falling back to his hands and knees.

She waited another moment, watched as the demon's front legs lowered and his hind legs kicked at the ground sending him speeding in her direction, waited another very, _very_ short moment, then released her arrow. The sacred aura surrounded the sharp weapon from head to tail and as it impaled the left side of the chest of her enemy, the force and power sent him flying backwards, smacking against the ground near Miroku's feet, and twitching slightly from the purification.

"Miroku, hurry!" She shouted, sprinting over to Inuyasha to assess the damage his human form had taken.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

She ignored him and continued looking him over while their enemy was down, noticing the blood that came from a shoulder wound, disappeared underneath his robe of the fire rat, and reappeared at his hands, dripping down the tips of his fingers. His dark grey eyes bore into her waiting for some sort of response, but she didn't care. Now was definitely not the time to catch up with one another. Especially not when she noticed the tear in the side of his robe and the amount of crimson liquid that put the color of his clothing to shame.

The monk quickly joined at Kagome's side looking exhausted and battered, covered in dirt and blood of his own.

"Do you think you can get him out of here, Miroku? The villagers are hiding not too far off, I saw them on my way over. Get them to help you guys." She could hear the lion demon stirring, no doubt itching to rise and attack again.

"You're an idiot if you think I'm leaving you here to fight that bastard alone!"

"And you're an idiot if you think you can help me!" Kagome snapped, gesturing to his current state.

"No, Kagome! Out of the question! I'm not leaving you!"

"Uh, guys..." Miroku was staring at the risen demon, the beast emitting a deep growl as it hurled its body over towards the three. Miroku quickly snagged Inuyasha out of the way, a pained yelp coming from the half-demon as they rolled, and Kagome leapt in the opposite direction, curling her body and landing in a kneel. She snatched an arrow from the quiver once more and positioned it quickly, launching it into his shoulder.

He roared again as her purification powers shot into his system, his muscles suddenly trembling under his weight but then quickly steadying. If it were possible, she swore his snarl grew more vicious and his anger spiked. She could feel his demonic power surging, growing stronger when it should have been growing weaker with the arrows she'd shot at him.

 _That's not good_.

His red eyes slowly peeled up from the ground and found her, searing into her own, a rush of fear racing through her.

"Lady Kagome, you must get out of there!" Miroku shouted, but it was too late.

The lion demon raced at her and she only had enough time to merely drop her bow and shield herself with her left arm. He snatched her forearm within his teeth, the white, scorching pain bringing a deafening scream out of Kagome. He bit down a little harder, another scream burning at her throat, hot liquid spilling from her flesh and in between his teeth. The jungle cat stepped forward bringing the priestess fully to her knees, and with another step she was inching backwards, trying desperately to follow his lead to avoid further pain. And then he was on top of her, arm still in his mouth, his snarl still just as vicious as her blood dripped down onto her chest.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled, kicking and fighting to get out of Miroku's hold. His body grew hot, heart pounding erratically in his chest as a number of emotions punched the air from his lungs. "No! Let go of me, Miroku! Kagome, no! I'm coming! Hang on! LET GO OF ME!"

"You would only make things worse, Inuyasha! She can handle this!" The monk scolded, his grip on the half-demon-turned-human only wavering slightly from the sting of his own wound in his arm. "You have to trust her! You're too hurt to fight!"

Kagome fought the urge to attempt to pry away his teeth from her forearm and instead shot her free hand behind her to snatch an arrow, unable to stop the small whimpering sounds that escaped her lips as any sort of movement sent electric waves directly to the limb currently stuck in the lion's jaw. More hot blood poured down onto her chest and neck, following gravity's lead and trickling down around the curve of her collar bone and throat. Just as his tongue lapped at her arm from behind his teeth she positioned the arrow in her fingers, clutched it tight, and with a powerful yell she stabbed it into the side of his neck.

Kagome was terrified that the demon's reaction would be to bite down even harder, potentially snapping her arm, but luckily he roared monstrously and she was freed. Quickly she peeled herself out from under him, scurrying backwards until she'd put a few feet of distance between them, clutching at her wound while desperately avoiding the sight of it. She knew the moment she paid mind to it was the moment she'd crumble from the pain.

The lion still stood, three arrows now sticking out from his body. She imagined he couldn't speak if he wanted to with the arrow lodged in his throat, but he was still strong enough to stand which made her fear that he was probably still strong enough to fight. She eyed her bow behind him, knowing her chances of retrieving it were slim to none from her position, and she'd really like to avoid tempting him into taking another part of her body between his teeth.

Kagome noticed Inuyasha in the distance. He was pale and drained, still squirming in their friend's hold to be free but too weak to put up an actual fight. Even from where she stood, she could see his black hair matted with a mixture of dirt and blood, sticking to the sides of his cheeks and neck. His dark eyes were half-lidded as he fought in Miroku's arms, cursing and calling out to her.

An overwhelming amount of rage shot through Kagome at the sight of her critically wounded husband, clouding her mind, and without thinking she leapt forward, her fist colliding with the beasts face once, twice, and the third time with enough force to send it stumbling backwards, tripping over its own feet and landing on the ground.

Everything stopped. It was quiet. Inuyasha wasn't fighting anymore and Miroku was hardly hanging on to him. The lion demon's breathing had slowed tremendously, Kagome feeling her powers of purification finally beginning to subdue the creature little-by-little. She was able to grab her bow before he was on his feet again, a searing pain shooting through her arm as she gripped the weapon and pulled one of her remaining arrows taut in the string. A low rumble came from the lion, the sound hardly noticeable but there nonetheless, as he rose once more with his head hung weakly.

"One more of these and you're done." Kagome warned as he took a few, slow steps toward her.

As if to irritate her, he chuckled. It was pained and hushed, but he kept laughing all the while taking one more step forward. "You couldn't kill me if you tried."

"Maybe you're right." Kagome agreed, lowering her bow in front of her, her shaking forearm finding alleviation as she loosened her hold. "Maybe I'm wasting my arrows. Maybe I'm not. Maybe I'm stronger than you're too proud to believe. Maybe one of us dies here tonight, or maybe you leave and I spare your life."

His thick brow furrowed together, a deep growl coming from the pit of his stomach and vibrating even her own core. Kagome returned his challenging stare, brown eyes colliding with red.

"Leave?" His pained voice queried, half laughing.

"Leave." Kagome answered flatly.

He squinted his eyes into a menacing glare, his snout wrinkling as his blood-stained lips twitched upward to reveal just the sharp tips of his fangs, his ruthless claws digging into the earth. Unwavering, Kagome stood up taller dropping the arrow from her fingers and letting it bounce against the ground before stilling, understanding that she'd have to give in before his pride allowed him to. "Leave." She repeated, her tone coming off as more of an order than the last confirmation she'd given.

His demeanor changed, suddenly. The fierce scowl he'd given her softened, muscles relaxing and jaw unclenching. With a huff from his nose and a shake of his thick mane, he abruptly turned around and began walking towards the dense edge of the forest. Pressing a heavy sigh from her lungs, Kagome dropped her shoulders, the tension that kept her body tight and focused beginning to leave her body as her muscles became shaky, fingers twitching along her bow.

"Kagome," she heard the low, weak moan, quickly snapping both hers and the lion's attention over to the two injured men.

"No," she pleaded, sensing the immediate danger as the beast emitted another rumble in their direction. She should have known the lion's surrender was too easy. She shouldn't have ignored the gut-wrenching feeling that screamed at her for lowering her weapons.

"No." She was a little louder, a little more desperate that time as she watched his path quickly change, watched the intention in his bright red eyes spark and his speed begin to pick up, Miroku and Inuyasha fumbling over their spent, damaged bodies to try and stand. That same, bubbling, excruciatingly hot blood that fueled her before returned with a fury as she pulled her last remaining arrow out of the quiver by its feathers, positioned the items to point directly ahead of the beast's path, pulling the tail back to align with her cheek and line of sight.

"NO!" She screamed, releasing her hold as the monster leapt towards the men, his jaw opened wide, powerful teeth bared.

A flash of purple light blinded them all as Kagome crumpled under her own weight, her energy drastically depleted from the amount of power she'd just used, falling to her hands and knees as she watched the arrow pierce the demon's rib cage and send him flying away from his prey. The silence was nearly unbearable, neither of the three breathing until the rise and fall of the fallen lion's chest finally ceased completely, his demonic aura dissipating into the crisp night air.

"Inuyasha." Kagome muttered under her breath, as if to bring herself back to the present. Back to the entire reason she'd come this far in the first place. "Inuyasha!"

The priestess forced herself up and ran over to the two black-haired men, skidding onto her knees as she reached Inuyasha's side. He was barely able to hold himself up in a sitting position anymore, leaning back onto one elbow as his other hand pressed firmly against the bite wound in his side. His face had paled considerably since the last time she'd noted, breaths coming in shallow and weak. His eyebrows were furrowed together and she could tell that if he just had an ounce more of strength he'd be chewing her out for putting herself in so much danger for their sake.

Miroku looked around them, peering into the dark forest trees and the wrecked buildings and huts that surrounded them as Kagome urged her husband to lay back and took over applying pressure to his still-bleeding wound repeating over and over _you'll be okay, you'll be okay_ even if it was only to convince herself. "Please!" Miroku shouted, "If any villagers remain, we need help!"

Kagome bit back the sob that swelled in her throat, tears stinging at her eyes as they burned a trail down her cheeks. She heard the distant sound of rustling grow louder and closer as several people emerged from the darkness, but couldn't bring herself to look away from her hanyou's half-lidded, vacant eyes. His mouth had opened to say something as he lifted a hand to brush his thumb across her cheek, wiping away a stray tear, but nothing came out. Kagome, herself, was only capable of repeating _you'll be okay, you're alright, I promise, you'll be okay, everything's okay now_ over and over and over until his eyes closed and heavy, forceful hands peeled her away from his battered body.

He felt heavy. Achy. Like he'd been laying in one position for far too long and his muscles were punishing him for the laziness. Even opening his eyes felt like a chore as he repeatedly blinked away the sleep until his golden eyes were able to focus on the familiar ceiling above him, sturdy beams crossing into a high arch. The blankets were pulled up to his shoulders yet he could still slightly feel the chill of the early morning drafting through his home.

 _Wait... Home?_

He slowly pulled himself into a seated position, hissing all the while from the dull pain in his side. His nose registered the lingering scents around him. Miroku and Sango had been here, though Kaede's scent was stronger in the air indicating that she had just recently left. He took a deep inhale of the most important scent of them all, the incredibly sweet aroma of Kagome calming every confused nerve in his body.

 _Kagome_.

His ear flicked as a sleepy sigh came from behind him, turning his head to see his wife had fallen asleep sitting against the wall next to where his head once was. His mind began racing, remembering the events that had taken place before he'd lost consciousness. The new moon, the beast, and his wife showing up out of fucking nowhere. That explained the pain in his side. He must have been really messed up if it didn't heal at least almost completely when he transformed back into a half demon.

His eyes looked her body up and down. Her legs were curled next to her, her back slouched slightly and her head resting half on the wall, half on her own shoulder. She was wearing clean robes now, wincing as he recalled her chest and neck splattered in her own blood. Inuyasha growled and clenched his fists at the memory, his claws biting into the palms of his hands. Her sleeve was pulled upward revealing her left forearm bandaged from elbow to wrist. It instantly ignited a fire in the pit of Inuyasha's core, remembering the sight of that wretched demon taking a bite out of his woman. His eyes flicked over to her right hand, her fingers resting on her lap and her knuckles a soft shade of red and purple, causing him to grimace. No, this shouldn't have happened to _her_.

While his basic instincts knew she must have stayed up all night taking care of him and she was exhausted and needed the rest, his demon instincts that needed answers and needed her to know just how much of an idiot she was overpowered them. He crawled off the futon, cursing under his breath at the damn pain in his waist, kneeling just in front of Kagome. He wanted to shake her awake, but the feeling disappeared just as quickly as it arose and he couldn't bring himself to be even close to that cruel to his wife no matter how angry he was. His calloused thumb grazed her soft cheek, momentarily grateful that nothing had happened to blemish her beautiful face.

"Hey," he whispered, easing her out of sleep, still slowly moving his finger back and fourth over her cheek. "Wake up, Kagome."

She blinked open her eyes at the feeling of heat against her face, a low and deep voice bringing her attention away from her dream and back to her chilly hut. It was morning. How long had she been asleep? Couldn't have been long. The soothing hand now began brushing her raven strands out of her face and behind her ear and then combing through the length of her hair with his fingers.

"Inuyasha?" Her voice was small and gentle from sleep, smiling gently as he continued stroking her hair. Her half demon was finally up, his clean, silver hair falling over his bare shoulders. She sat up straight, pushing him back a little to see that the bandages wrapped around his torso were still clean and his wound hadn't reopened, sighing back into a slight slouch from the relief that it was finally closing. "Thank goodness."

"How long- wait, no, how did-"

"You've been out for about two days now. The villagers could only help us out so much. They had injured of their own to tend to and homes to rebuild, so they helped me get you and Miroku back here yesterday. How are you feeling?" She asked, reaching forward and trailing her fingers around the curve of his shoulder where a nasty cut had been just before he transformed back.

"Me!? Kagome, how are _you_ feeling?" Inuyasha pressed, snatching her injured arm up in his hands, immediately regretting the unnecessary force he'd just used.

She tried to hide her wince, a small gasp escaping her lips. "I'm okay, Inuyasha. Really."

"He _bit_ you, Kagome!" He argued, gently raising her arm a little higher as if to remind her just why it was bandaged. Did nobody see a problem with being bitten anymore?

"He bit you too!" She took her arm back and gestured towards his own bandages.

"I'm a half demon, remember? I can take it!"

"Are you kidding me?" Kagome could feel something bubbling up inside of her. She couldn't tell if it was anger or exasperation or anxiety or sadness or whatever other emotion that could possible arise at the moment, but it was beginning to boil over and she could feel the heat settle into her cheeks. "You weren't a half demon when you were bitten! You know better than I that you need to be careful during one night of the month! _One night!_ Your regenerative powers won't work in your favor if you don't survive as a human!" She flailed her arms as she yelled, tears stinging at her eyes and spilling over.

" _Keh_. I'm fine. Why did you come? You know what I do for a living! It's dangerous, Kagome!"

"You promised to be home before sundown!"

"That doesn't mean come after me if I'm not!"

"So I'm supposed to just sit around and wait!?"

"That's exactly what you're supposed to do!"

"You could have died, Inuyasha!"

"I wouldn't have died." Inuyasha scoffed, rolling his golden eyes and crossing his arms over his bare chest.

"You _could_ have died!" Kagome cried, hastily trying and failing to wipe the tears that fell with her sleeves as more and more spilled from her eyes. She shut them tight, hoping that would close the gates, but she just couldn't stop. "If you had kept fighting, or if I had been any later, or if I wasn't able to shoot in time when the demon jumped at you because I lowered my _damn_ defenses!" She hit her fist against the floor, the emphasis on her curse shocking Inuyasha even further.

Inuyasha felt himself soften immediately, her salty tears burning his nose as he felt himself slouch his shoulders in defeat. He couldn't stand seeing Kagome this way. She is the light of his life, and the sobs she let out in between a few words had his heart crumbling away. His fingers slowly wrapped around her small fist that was braced against the floor, bringing it into his lap as he attempted to gently rub out the sting she must have felt from punching the wood. His fingers brushed against her bruised knuckles and he gave in to the urgent need to hold Kagome to his chest. He scooted himself forward, brought his legs to cross in front of him, then gave the hand he held a good tug in his direction that she didn't resist to follow.

He adjusted her in his lap, her legs draped over one of his while she buried her tear stained face into the crook of his neck. He let Kagome cry for as long as she needed to, holding her as firmly as he could without crushing her and pushing up her pants so he could graze his fingertips against the soft skin of her legs. Finally, he felt her relax and the salty scent began to fade away, her trembling body stilling against his hard, steady one.

"I'm sorry, Kagome. You're right. Shit could have gone south, and it's because of you that I'm alive. You fought so well and I'm so damn proud of you, baby." He was subconsciously swaying her back and forth, the curve of her body fitting so perfectly into his. "I'm not gonna lie, even I was afraid of you."

She giggled and it was music to his ears. She pulled back to look at him, wiping away the remaining evidence of her breakdown with her sleeves again then shook her head.

"No, I- I put my guard down too soon. He was so close to getting you at the end."

"But you stopped him. That's what matters." Inuyasha replied, bringing her bruised hand up to his lips and brushing a kiss against each injured knuckle.

Kagome smiled, her heart giving a small flutter as he soothed her worries away. He was right. What mattered in the end was she managed to kill the demon and save her husband. She was sitting in his lap, relishing in his body heat and the small kisses he was now placing along her bandaged forearm, starting from her outer arm, making his way inwards, and ending at her inner wrist making sure to place a few extra tender kisses along the barely exposed, delicate skin. Him knowing full and well that it was a sensitive area that she loved to have touched, and her knowing full and well that she wouldn't be able to enjoy this wonderful moment if she hadn't have pulled through in the nick of time.

"Oh and by the way," Inuyasha began, letting his fingers wander down her legs and underneath her hakama once again. "I wasn't kidding when I said you scared the shit out of me. Could you let me know if I ever piss you off that bad so I can get the hell out of firing range?"

Kagome shot him a questioning look, cocking an eyebrow up at him. "What are you talking about?" The hanyou brought her bruised knuckles into her line of sight, a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"You punched a demon in the face, Kagome." He explained, a look of shock causing his eyes to go wide as he remembered her throwing each powerful punch, realizing that maybe he was rubbing off on her in all the wrong ways. "I'm not looking to be on the other end of that!"

Kagome gave a small smile and giggled again. "Oh," she started, climbing out of Inuyasha's lap to stand, pulling herself into a long stretch then sighing and gently rubbing one of her husband's ears.

"We'll see." She teased, walking away to get breakfast started for her hanyou.

"I'm serious, Kagome!" He shouted after her, worry causing his brow to furrow. She replied with a simple, happy hum as she exited their hut for ingredients. Inuyasha sighed heavily, rolling his eyes and standing slowly to make sure not to further aggravate his side.

"We aren't done here!" He yelled, following her out to their yard. He heard her melodic giggle from the side of their home, turning to see her peeking around the corner.

"You mean the big, bad half demon isn't actually afraid of me and my fists of fury?" She played, walking over to him and pretending to throw a punch, pushing his cheek with a soft fist.

"Shut up." Inuyasha droned, rolling his amber eyes and grasping the offending wrist. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his chest, heat burning along his cheeks. "Listen, I don't like that you put yourself in so much danger. Please, just trust me to come back to you okay? I will always come back to you."

"And I will always come after you." She replied, wrapping her arms around his neck, her fingers threading in the long strands at his nape and standing on the tips of her toes to place a small kiss against his lips. "You don't have to like it, but that's how we work. That's how we've always worked, Inuyasha."

He shook his head and made an aggravated noise under his breath, but instead of countering her with another argument that she no doubt expected, he pressed his lips firmly against her own, gripping her waist tight in an attempt to pull her even closer. "Yeah, yeah. I don't know what I'm going to do with you." He sighed, bending down and passionately kissing his wife again, swallowing her giggle and drinking her in.


End file.
